Lecture 6: Arteries and Veins

Question 1

Answer 1

inner layer of the artery is the tunica intima

has layer endothelium which is simple squamous epithelium that lines the lumen of the vessel and acts as a barrier between the blood and vessel wall to prevent blood clotting

has a sub-endothelium which is a sparse bad of loose FCT that supports and cushions the endothelium

also has an internal elastic lamina which is a condensed sheet of elastic tissue (more developed in arteries than in veins)

Question 2

Answer 2

tunica media is made primary of smooth muscle
it contains variable connective tissue fibres which are mainly collagen and elastin
the thickness of the media depends on the vessel diameter and blood pressure

• arteries have a thicker media than veins

Question 3

Answer 3

tunica adventia is the outermost layer
it is made of loose FCT and high collegen content with variable amount of elastin
it has vasa vasorum which are blood supply of the blood vessels
also contains lymphatics and autonomic nerves

• adventitia is usally thickest layer of veins

Question 4

Answer 4

Question 5

how can you tell what this is?

Answer 5

This is a vein!

Can tell because the media is thin is the left diagram. Can also see adventitia is the thickest which is what veins have

We can see in the artery diagram the tunica media is very sick and the CSA is smaller than the 2 veins either side of it.

The veins have twice the cross-sectional area than the artery to ensure they pump the same volume of blood per second since veins have lower pressure than arteries.